A Generous Chance Encounter

You will have read from my last blog post that I have been on a road trip to Canberra. Along the way, Top Gear obligingly stops at any patchwork shops I want . One such stop was The Craft Depot at Pennant Hills. There I found a fat quarter of a bright, acidly, limey yellow floral. I wanted more, so with it clutched in my hand I proceeded to peruse the shelves for meterage. Alas, none was to be found and staff said the computer wasn't showing any left!
Up stepped Marianne! She had been eavesdropping on my search and went on to tell me she had about 2.5 m of it in her stash and that I could have it if I wanted. I wanted!!
She apologised that she had already cut it into four wide strips but it didn't suit the project she had bought it for and would probably never use it so she would send it to me.
I gave her my details but I honestly thought I would never receive the fabric.....she was just being nice.
She was truly nice. I arrived home a few days later to find a parcel waiting for me, just as she promised.



How very, very generous. Thank you so much Marianne. It has confirmed my belief that quilters are truly the best people on earth.
The red and white fabrics I collected on my trip have turned into a container of hexies!



I am thinking a simple Grandmother's Flower Garden project to take on the next overseas jaunt, looming fast! The background will be hexified too, but thinking......
maybe this........




Or this.........



I do like the yellow and I want it to be a bit out there, colour wise.
Sensible me, will probably choose this..........



I pondered green for a while but the blue draws me back!
Anybody like to help?


Decisions, decisions........ I think it really is all an avoidance tactic for packing clothes. Why ,oh, why can't we board a plane in our PJs then wake up refreshed at the other end with our bags packed with exactly the right clothes for the climate. I need to be 5 again, where all I had to do was pick my favourite toy to take ( now my sewing) and then Mummy does all the rest!!
Still a few days yet, no need to panic!!!!!
Happy Stitching


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A Cultural Interlude

Last week Top Gear and I had a quick trip to Canberra. I can't say I was looking forward to it as it sounded a bit like a school excursion to me.
To soothe my cranky soul, he detoured via Berrima on the way to Canberra......but it backfired because Berrima Patchwork is closed on Tuesdays. I had to suffice with a luscious lunch at The Magpie Cafe.....with cake for dessert!
There was a full agenda in Canberra. Treasures of the Incas at the National Gallery, Ancient Maps at the National Library, the War Memorial, Parliament House, the Telstra Tower........the list went on and on.



The War Memorial was my favourite place. I even managed to find my grandfather's name on the roll of honour and left a poppy for him! It pleased me to report back to my 89 year old Dad that I had done this.
The Telstra Tower was pretty good too! It was good to get perspective over Canberra and surrounds.



The map exhibition was intriguing, maps from Dampier, Tasman and Cook and how they finally pieced our coastline together.......no photos allowed
To be fair, I did enjoy it but my brain got tired........but Top Gear knows how to fix that. Time out here was the perfect pick me up.



This shop has a great range of fabric...... I managed to add to my stash of red and white fabrics.



All in all, we had a great few days and to top it off Berrima Patchwork was open on our way home!
Happy Stitching!



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Dreaming in Colour

This weekend was big......well, big for me anyway! It was the weekend for colour, fun, friends and quilty inspiration. This weekend was the Kaffe and Brandon Big Bang workshop in Sydney........ YAY!
First stop for the weekend was our regular quilt meeting, not to be missed because it was the first month of the Churn Dash swap. Ten blocks the same in and ten different blocks back.....a fantastic way to get a great variety of fabrics!



Job done and off to Sydney for the evening lecture on colour inspiration by the colour guru, Kaffe Fassett. It was just awesome to be in the same room with so many people whose work you admire!



Kaffe and Kathy to name just two!


Drinks and nibbles, book signing and rubbing shoulders after, with amazing harbour views.....my friends and I were very happy!



After a not so good sleep, hotel stuff up, long story......we were ready for the Big Bang
Workshop. It was overwhelming, awesome, tiring, inspirational, daunting, exciting, perplexing and just plain fabric fun!
We just cut and played, re- arranged and cut some more......no sewing, just working on design walls with Kaffe and Brandon offering suggestions and words of advice all day. I thought I was going ok because I mainly just got "okay" and " good job" from Kaffe and once he stepped in to re-arrange a few rows for a better result. Brandon would stop by to offer me his choices but blue just wasn't gonna work for me!



By lunch time I had this on the design wall.......



I felt like I was going slow because the rest of the room looked like this........



One of us even needed to have a little rest and let the experts step in to help out!



By the end of the day I was happy! Kaffe's critique included words like "smouldering" and "hot" ( referring to my design wall, not me, of course, easy to confuse I know, haha). It was just the effect I was hoping to achieve!



It was a hugely fun day. I think I learn't a lot but I need some time to let it all sink in.
More photos of others people's Big Bang next time!
Happy stitching




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Just pottering along!

Things have been quiet on the home front lately. Our youngest son has just started his first full time job as a civil engineer. He leaves early and gets home for dinner. I miss all the coming and going, needless to say the dogs get lots of attention!
On the sewing front I have just been pottering along. I am preparing fussy cut stars to sew on our next trip......we are off to Amsterdam in a few weeks.


I don't know what they are going to be made into, I am hoping inspiration hits as I sew along.
I have also been playing with fabric combinations in preparation for the Kaffe Fassett workshop coming up next weekend.
Which do you like?
I have a modern palette......



Or, a richer, darker palette



Or a more restricted but out there citrus palette?




I am having a lot of trouble deciding so I might just have to take ALL OF IT!
I am sure all this will fly out the window once I get there and if I am hoping to learn to be braver with colours.
Secretly I have been harbouring a desire to start Camelot by Trish Harper and I think the modern palette would be perfect so might have to stash that for a rainy day.....decisions, decisions.
I am also getting close to my first finish for 2014. This potholder quilt only has a few more rows to add and the last lines of quilting to be done.....easy peasy!



So the plan is to just keep pottering along and see where my sewing takes me for a while......
Happy Stitching!



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What's Hot!

So........Xmas successfully done and dusted, youngest child's 22nd birthday done and dusted, seeing in the New Year done and dusted, parent's 65th wedding anniversary done and dusted, brother's 62nd birthday done and dusted......that's it..... now it's time to sew!
My regular once a month sewing get together was on again and it was lovely to just relax, chat and sew!
Chris turned up with this beauty.



She has been beavering away on these sunburst blocks for only a couple of months but she seemed to get this border done in no time at all......all hand done! Just lovely and made mainly from her stash.....clever girl.
Wendy was quietly stitching binding when we suddenly thought to ask what she was working on.....and this came out from under the table.



All 2.5 inch squares and a few little blocks and nine patches left over from other projects. A fabric delight! The back was almost as good as the front, too.



There was even a little clever mending done.



Then to really get back into the sewing swing of things, one of the evil fabric sisters came up with a plan! ROAD TRIP!
Last week we headed to Albury to Carolyn Konig's Quiltworks. It was a mystery quilt centre block and a sit and sew day......really, to be honest, I should say a sew and shop day! The shop was full of fabric delight.



We also learnt to appliqué a new way using stitch and wash and a nifty new appliquick tool. Much easier on the hands than needle turn or using freezer paper.
The centre block of the quilt starts something like this:


It will be very naive in style and I have a plan for a sawtooth border and lots of nine patches in the surrounds. It will evolve! I learnt a lot, especially in the preparation of broderie perse and am keen to add some to my quilt centre.
We had a great couple of days even though the temperature soared! It was 44 deg at 5:30 on one of the afternoons. Thank heaven for air con. We just ran from one air conditioned space to another.
Here are my evil fabric sisters looking cool and happy at the workshop!


Now looking not so cool.......



Cathie still needs her socks to sleep in, even though the night temps never got below 30 deg. She must have the warmest heart EVER!



And Olga has a unique way to stretch her legs after driving for three hours......enough said!
It was an 8 hour drive to get there, 2 day workshop, then a day to get home....full on but great fun. Thank you my friends and especially she above, who did ALL the driving, a big effort, thanks.
Next quilty adventure......Kaffe Fasset.....so excited!
Happy stitching!

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Success....Xmas!

Well, it's done! Xmas that is, after a very rocky start. A little over a week ago there were no presents bought, food planned or prepared and panic had set in.
First thing sorted was this.........a shopping marathon!



Presents for everyone!
Then I got my head around the first family feast.....everyone seemed happy!



Chaos reigned for a few hours but in a fun way. Even the dog felt the effects!




No sooner had we recovered from all that, then there was the second family feast!



More fun and games.......especially with big boys pretending to be small boys, much to the delight of the real small boys.



It was a wonderful Xmas, filled with family, food and fun.
Hope yours was too!
Merry Xmas!

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Xmas is coming......Yikes!

How come when I have more available time than I have ever had before to get organised for Xmas, I am in complete chaos?
Why is it I know more about what to buy my sewing buddies than my own children?
Xmas has completely overwhelmed me this year. With barely a week to go I have only a few presents under the tree and no ideas on how to fill the space!
Thirty six family members are arriving at my house in three days to celebrate and be fed....... I haven't started cooking! I am worried!
Don't get me wrong.....I have managed to shop.......for me! I went to buy a small extension table for my machine for Santa to give me for Xmas and came home with this......



There is still a perspex insert to go in to fill the gap and a small chest of drawers under, but, I am pretty happy with it! Thanks Santa!
Of course, bringing this home necessitated a big clean up and re shuffle of the sewing room. So, while the rest of the rest of the house is a mess, the sewing space with the old table repurposed for cutting, is looking inviting!



MUST FOCUS........COOKING AND SHOPPING, COOKING AND SHOPPING!

I have been put to shame by some....in a lovely way! One of my "evil fabric sister" friends made me this lovely tree skirt. It did help to fill the "bareness" under the tree!



I love it!
No sewing has been done by me for weeks but I have had a few little fabric splurges. Kaffe is on my mind as I am going to one of his workshops early next year. We are doing a colour workshop based on his quilt, "Big Bang".



I have been playing with a few combos.....






The second one looks promising......
But I need to FOCUS.....XMAS IS COMING......MUST SHOP!
Happy stitching!

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